PRELIMINARY CHAPTER, 3 



of proving; but it is only justice to Mr. Heath, 

 one of the firm by which the apparatus was 

 provided, to state, that he himself declared, " he 

 should have scarcely recommended so novel a 

 scheme on a service such as ours, where, if an 

 accident occurred, there would be considerable 

 difficulty in making the necessary reparations." 



Three capacious, but comparatively light, 

 whale boats were built, and an equal number of 

 sledges with iron runners, so contrived as to 

 serve also for the body of a carriage, which, 

 when placed on wheels adapted to the con- 

 trivance, were expected, and could not fail, to be 

 most useful for the conveyance of stores, &c. over 

 the land. 



For food at once the most portable and sub- 

 stantial, upwards of three thousand pounds weight 

 of pemmican were manufactured from the choicest 

 meat, with pimento and other spices mixed, to 

 make it more palatable. In addition to this, 

 there was a liberal supply of preserved meats and 

 soups, together with a great variety of anti- 

 scorbutics ; warm clothing to provide against the 

 cold of winter, such as fur caps, carpet or cloth 

 boots, with cork next the feet, and bear skin 

 blankets, &c. : but as I experienced some trouble 

 in making out a list of what was actually in- 

 dispensable, it may be of future use to insert it 

 here : — 



b 2 



